Insurance Brokerage Services

Leon County Government ("County") is soliciting proposals from qualified firms to provide comprehensive insurance brokerage and risk management services. Proposers are requested to submit a written proposal detailing their qualifications, experience, resources, and approach to servicing the County's insurance and risk management needs.

The County seeks a highly qualified broker capable of providing proactive account management, strategic risk management guidance, insurance market expertise, and responsive service. The selected firm will be expected to meet high performance standards throughout the term of the agreement.

Time is of the essence. The County intends to proceed expeditiously through the procurement process, and the selected firm shall be expected to do the same throughout the term of service.

This is a conceptual proposal. Insurance coverages shall not be marketed, and no insurers may be contacted, approached, or reserved with respect to County coverage unless and until Broker of Record authorization is issued by the County. Failure to comply with this requirement may result in disqualification.

The County reserves the right to procure any line of insurance coverage outside of the broker services agreement without affecting the broker’s compensation under the agreement. The selected broker shall not be responsible for the County’s employee health insurance program.

The County seeks a multi-year, flat-fee brokerage services agreement. All compensation terms shall be fully disclosed in the proposal submission and shall be incorporated into the resulting agreement without modification.

In the event the Broker receives any commission payments directly attributable to the placement or procurement of insurance coverage for the County, such commissions shall be credited against the fees owed under the agreement. Any commission amounts in excess of the fees owed shall be promptly remitted to the County.

The Broker, its parent company, subsidiaries, and affiliated entities may receive contingent compensation, profit-sharing payments, overrides, allowances, or similar compensation from insurers based on factors not specific to the County's account, including but not limited to overall volume, growth, retention, profitability, or performance of business placed with an insurer. Such contingent compensation shall not be considered commissions attributable to the County’s account and shall not be credited against or remitted to the County.

The Broker shall fully disclose all commissions, fees, incentives, contingent compensation, profit-sharing arrangements, and any other compensation received in connection with insurance placements for the County upon submission of the proposal.

This Request for Proposals (RFP) establishes the full scope of services, performance expectations, and evaluation criteria and shall serve as the basis for award without negotiation. The County will award a contract based solely on the requirements and pricing submitted in response to this RFP.

Project Details

• Reference ID: BC-2026-019
• Department: Procurement
• Department Head: Melanie Hooley (Purchasing Director)

Important Dates

• Questions Due: 2026-07-16T20:00:00.000Z

Evaluation Criteria

• Firm's Qualifications and Experience (15 pts) —

  Shall consider the following criteria:

  Overall qualifications, experience, and demonstrated ability to provide brokerage and risk management services for a government entity of similar size, scope and complexity.

  1. Organization
     1. Experience in serving counties, municipalities or public entities.
  2. Joint Venture/Subcontracting
  3. References
     1. Experience acting as broker of record for comparable insurance programs.
  4. Firm's Experience with Projects of Similar Scope
  5. Terminated or lost contracts
  6. Errors and Omissions Coverage
• Team and Key Personnel (20 pts) —

  Shall consider the following criteria:

  1. Qualifications/resumes of key account team.
  2. Roles and responsibilities of assigned team members.
  3. Timeliness and responsiveness of the proposed team.
• Approach and Understanding of Scope of Service (30 pts) —

  Shall consider the following criteria:

  Program Structure, the understanding of the County’s needs and proposed approach to delivering the services outlined in the Scope of Services.

  1. Marketing Services & Strategy
  2. Claim Administration & Management
  3. Policy Holder Services
  4. Additional Services
• Agency Cost (30 pts) —

  The Proposer with the lowest cost will receive the maximum30 points. Proposer's with a higher cost will receive fewer points, on a pro‐rata basis, using the formula below:

  (L / P) X (30)

  Where:

  L = Lowest cost proposed

  P = Proposer's cost

• Minority/Women Business Enterprise Utilization (10 pts) —

  To be eligible for evaluation, all MWBE Section Forms must be located in your response. The MWSBE Division will deem responses responsive to the MWBE Section of the solicitation if they include a completed MWBE Participation Plan that is eligible for points and/or Good Faith Effort documentation. Points for Minority/Women Business Enterprise Utilization will be awarded by the MWSBE Office as outlined below:

  

  If you are unable to meet the project specific goal for MBE and WBE participation, you must submit a Good Faith Effort Form documenting your efforts to identify MBE and WBE firms to participate in order for your response to remain responsive to this solicitation.

• MWBE Joint Venture (2 pts) —

  2 Additional Points are available for demonstrating Joint Venture, Partnership, or Association; Mentor-Protégé; or Apprenticeship/Externship on the MWBE Participation Plan Form. Response must be deemed responsive to the solicitation.

• Local Preference (5 pts) —

  Points for Local Preference will be awarded as follows:

  1. Individuals or firms which have a home office located within Leon, Gadsden, Wakulla, or Jefferson County, and which have been certified by the Leon County Purchasing Division as a Local Business, as set forth in this RFP, shall be given a preference in the amount of five percent (five (5) points out of the 100 maximum points allowed); and
  2. Individuals or firms which do not have a home office located within Leon, Gadsden, Wakulla, or Jefferson County, and which have been certified by the Leon County Purchasing Division as a Local Business, as set forth in this RFP, shall be given a preference in the amount of three percent (three (3) points out of the 100 maximum points allowed); and
  3. All other individuals or firms shall be given zero (0) points for Local Preference.

  For the purposes of this section, "home office" shall mean a business's principal office or headquarters constituting the center for administration and policymaking.

Submission Requirements

• ACCEPTANCE OF COUNTY TERMS AND CONDITIONS (required) —

  The terms and conditions associated with this solicitation are set forth in the Agreement contained in the "Attachments" section of this solicitation. By submitting a response, the proposer acknowledges that it has reviewed the Agreement and agrees to comply with and be bound by all terms, conditions, and requirements contained therein.

  Leon County objects to and shall not consider any additional terms or conditions submitted by a proposer, including any terms appearing in documents attached to or incorporated within the proposal. Any such additional terms or conditions, whether submitted intentionally or inadvertently, shall have no force or effect.

  Failure to agree to the terms and conditions of the solicitation, including the Agreement, or failure to comply with the solicitation requirements, including those specifying information that must be submitted with a proposal, may result in the proposal being deemed non-responsive and rejected.

• Company Information (required) —

  Provide company name as registered with the Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations. 

• Taxpayer ID Number (required) —

  Provide the company's FEI/EIN Number.

• Drug-Free Workplace Certification (required) —

  Is the firm in compliance with the Drug-Free Workplace requirements set forth in Section 287.087, Florida Statutes?
  
  (A “No” response will not result in disqualification.)

• Scrutinized Company Certification (required) —

  As required by Section 287.135(5) Florida Statutes, I certify that the firm is not participating in a boycott of Israel, is not on the Scrutinized Companies with Activities in Sudan List or the Scrutinized Companies with Activities in the Iran Petroleum Energy Sector List, and it does not have business operations in Cuba or Syria.

• Insurance Certification (required) —

  Bidders’ attention is directed to the insurance requirements set forth in the Agreement contained in the "Attachments" section of this solicitation.   

  I certify that this firm has coverage in place at the required levels or, if awarded, coverage will be in place at the required levels. 

• Equal Opportunity (required) —

  The contractors and all subcontractors hereby agree to a commitment to the principles and practices of equal opportunity in employment and to comply with the letter and spirit of federal, state, and local laws and regulations prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, religion, national region, sex, age, handicap, marital status, and political affiliation or belief.

• Performance Bond (required) —

  A Performance Bond will be required for this project of the awarded proposer. Please confirm.

• Foreign Countries of Concern Affidavit (required) —

  Please download the below documents, complete, and upload.

• No Commission Confirmation (required) —

  Please confirm that the agent/broker will receive no commissions or any other form of additional compensation of any type or kind from the insurer.

• Proposal Response Cover Sheet with Signature (required)
• RFP Response - Firm's Professional Personnel - Tab 1 (required) —

  Applicant is requested to provide the following information using the same numbering/lettering scheme as the format below as one PDF file:

  1. Firm name or Joint Venture, business address and office location, telephone number.
  2. If a joint venture, list participating firms and outline specific areas of responsibility (including administrative, technical, and financial) of each firm.
  3. Address of the office that is to perform the work.
  4. The age of the firm, brief history, and average number of employees over the past five years.
  5. Present size of firm, nature of services offered, and breakdown of staff by discipline.
  6. Provide the total number of professionals in your organization and the estimated number of professionals and working hours of these professionals, to be assigned to this project at peak.
• RFP Response - Firm's Related Experience - Tab 2 (required) —

  Applicant is requested to provide the following information using the same numbering/lettering scheme as the format below as one PDF file:

  1. Marketing of insurance coverage. Marketing may include all coverages of the County indicated in this RFP, however, coverages may change during the contract term. Comment on your marketing strategy, including timing, client meetings, meetings with underwriters, and major carriers, by line that you would access. Indicate those which specialize in governmental risks.
  2. Claims Administration. This will include periodic claim reviews (the number and scope to be defined), advise on handling large claims and active involvement in prior claims where necessary.
     1. Demonstrate the process of claim investigations and compensability determination.
     2. Describe your firm's experience assisting public-sector clients in developing insurance requirements for contracts, including design, construction, and service agreements. Include your approach to reviewing insurance policies, contracts, leases, and bonds, and provide relevant examples of similar services performed.
     3. Describe your firm's experience working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and other governmental agencies. Include specific examples demonstrating your knowledge of applicable requirements, claims administration, disaster recovery support, risk management, or other related services provided to clients.
  3. Policyholder Services. Provide a description of services the County will receive upon award of said contract.
     1. Describe your firm's ability to identify, evaluate, and provide consulting services regarding new and emerging risk management programs. Include examples of innovative risk management strategies or programs recommended and implemented for similar clients, and the resulting benefits.
     2. Describe your firm's experience providing or coordinating property appraisal services, catastrophe modeling, and related risk assessment services. Include information regarding the methodologies, tools, and resources utilized, as well as examples of similar services provided for governmental or large public-sector clients.
  4. Additionally, all proposals should specifically indicate contemplated scope and frequency of the following services:
     1. Exposure identification services
     2. Property inspections and property value trending
     3. Written loss prevention reports
     4. Coordination and analysis of loss data generated by TPA’s and insurers
• RFP Response - Client Service Team and Firm Qualifications - Tab 3 (required) —

  Applicant is requested to provide the following information using the same numbering/lettering scheme as the format below as one PDF file:

  Please provide detailed information on the following:

  1.  Organization. Outline the organization of your firm as would be pertinent to the servicing of the account. Include your service philosophy for similar accounts (locations, centralized or decentralized, local/national resources).
  2. Qualifications/resumes of account team Describe the qualifications of the individuals who will be servicing this account, including their experience with similar risks. Provide resumes of all account team members. It is the County’s intent that those persons whose names are submitted as team members will be the individuals who service the County. Only upon the prior written authorization of the County may any team member be changed.
  3. Joint Venture/Subcontracting Detail the extent to which any activities will be facilitated through the utilization of a joint venture partner or subcontracting relationship. Where applicable, please provide same detailed information as requested in item #2 on the other organization(s), including team members and allocations of work. Show the organization chart as it relates to the project indicating key personnel and their relationship. It should be understood that it is the intent of Leon County to insist that those indicated as the project team in the RFP response actually execute the project.
  4. Timeliness of response to the County Describe the capability of your organization, as well as the individual team members, to establish and meet schedules and deadlines as required by the County.
  5. Additional Resources Describe additional resources available through your firm which the County may wish to access.
  6. Provide references for accounts similar to the County’s for which you provide brokerage services. All proposers must provide at least five (5) references.
  7. All bidders must list all similar contracts that have been terminated or lost, due to unsatisfactory performance, within the last five (5) years.
  8. Errors & Omissions Coverage Provide a copy of a certificate of insurance showing coverage and limits for E & O coverage.
• RFP Response - Industry Relationships - Tab 4 (required) —

  Applicant is requested to provide the following information using the same numbering/lettering scheme as the format below as one PDF file:

  Please provide written confirmation from both Zurich and Travelers that the broker has a current industry‐specific relationship with these insurers and that both Zurich and Travelers have the capacity to service the County’s insurance needs through the proposers agent/broker. Agents/brokers unable to provide this documentation will not be considered further in the process.

  Once selected, agent/broker will be required to provide evidence that quotes were sought from at least two other AM Best A+ XV rated insurers. If documentation is not provided to the County, the County reserves the right to immediately terminate the broker/agent services agreement and select the second ranked broker/insurer to represent the County.

• Additional Forms to Fill Out and Submit - Tab 5 (required) —

  Submit the items on the following list and any other items required by any section of this Invitation for Bids. The checklist is provided as a courtesy and may not be inclusive of all items required within this Invitation for Bids.

  Please see Attachments for all the necessary forms for the bidder to complete for this solicitation. Failure to complete or attach the necessary forms will result in the bidder being deemed nonresponsive.

  • Affidavit Immigration Laws
  • Identical Tie Bid Statement
  • Non-Collusion Affidavit
  • Certification/Debarment Form
  • Local Vendor Certification (if applicable)
  • Employment Eligibility (E-Verify)
  • Affidavit In Compliance with Section 787.06(14), F.S. 
• CONFIDENTIAL, PROPRIETARY OR TRADE SECRET INFORMATION —

  If necessary, please upload a redacted copy of your submittal. 

• How will you accept proposals? (required)
• Pre-Bid Meeting? (required)
• Indemnification (required)
• Performance Bond? (required) —

  Is this project over $200,000?

• MWSBE (required)
• Certified MBE Participation Project Specific Goal (required) —

  If there is no goal, the form will ignore this field.

• Certified WBE Participation Project Specific Goal (required) —

  If there is no goal, the form will ignore this field.

• Insurance? (required)
• Integrated Scope of Services? (required) —

  Will the Scope be written within ProcureNow? (YES) or will you be attaching a completed Scope as an attachment? (NO)

• RFP Cost Proposal Type (required)
• Price Increase Language? (required)
• Access to Personal Identifying Information (required)